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Kosovo
Kosovo (Serbian: Косово и Метохија / Kosovo i Metohija, Albanian: Kosovë / Kosova) is a province of Serbia. It is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute between Serbia and the province's majority ethnic Albanian population. It lies within Serbia's traditional borders inside the Serbian-Montenegrin federation, but since the Kosovo War it has been administered by the United Nations. The international force (KFOR) responsible for Kosovo's security consists of various European countries, within and outside NATO. Prior to administration by UNMIK (the United Nations Interim Administation Mission in Kosovo), a separatist parliament had declared an independent 'Republic of Kosovo', though this was recognised only by Albania. The province's final status has yet to be determined; talks on this issue are scheduled for later in 2006. Geography thumb|left|275px|Physical map of Kosovo With an area of 10,887 km² and a population of over two million on the eve of the 1999 crisis, Kosovo borders Montenegro to the northwest, with the districts of Raška, Toplica, Jablanica and Pčinja in Central Serbia to the North and East; the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the south, and Albania to the southwest form the international boundries. The largest cities are Prishtina the capital, with estimated 500,000 inhabitants, and Prizren in the southwest with 120,000: five other towns have populations in excess of 50,000. Geographical regions Metohija, called Rrafshi i Dukagjinit ("Dukagjin plateau") by Albanians, is the large basin at the west of the province. The region includes the towns of Istok, Peć, Dečani, Đakovica, Orahovac, and Prizren. The second largest region is Kosovo, a basin around the Sitnica river containing the cities of Uroševac, Prishtina, Vuchitern, and Mitrovica. Kosovo Polje (Kosovo Field) is just a small field which was the site of the Battle of Kosovo; when the communist government changed the name of the province to Kosovo in 1968, they also started pushing "Kosovo Polje" as the name of entire region. Part of Kosovo along the river Lab which contains the city of Podujevo is called Malo Kosovo (literally "Little Kosovo"). Just between the Metohija and Kosovo is the Drenica with the cities of Srbica and Klina and Mališevo. Around the river Binačka Morava is Binačko Pomoravlje. At the southmost tip of the province, along the border with Macedonia lie the Gora, Sredačka Župa and Sirinićka Župa. Official and colloqual names The province is most widely known as 'Kosovo' and this has become the standard in international and United Nations terminology in English. In Albanian this name becomes 'Kosova', and this usage can be more often found within Kosovo and in local official use. Wherever political and cultural sensitivity are particularly important, the international community will use 'Kosovo/Kosova' to describe the province and have adopted a similar standard for many place names. Whilst the formal title 'Republic of Kosova' has fallen out of use with the integration of Kosovo Albanian politics into the UNMIK system, the formal Serbian title 'Kosovo i Metohija' remains in colloquial and official use in Kosovo and in Serbia proper where parallel institutions for Kosovo remain until final status is resolved. The question of what to call the inhabitants of Kosovo collectively has also aroused some debate. They have been called variously "Kosovars", "Kosovans" and "Kosovians". The two words accepted by the Oxford English Dictionary are "Kosovar" (borrowed from Albanian), the most widely used variant in English, by a long way, and "Kosovan" (using the English rules for demonyms) much less used. "Kosovian" is considered a non-standard word and very little used at all. As Kosovo has no formal statehood, current international usage is to refer to Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Albanians. Most of the Albanian-descended community in Kosovo would prefer the use of Kosovar or Kosovan because of the attendant political overtones, whilst the Serb minority continue to think of themselves as Serb or Serbian (from Kosovo). Flag The province never had an official flag of its own. The Albanian flag is used by the Albanian-dominated administration and the vast majority of Kosovo Albanians. Kosovo's president, Ibrahim Rugova, has proposed an alternative flag of "Dardania" based on the design of the Albanian flag, but even within Kosovo it is little used. The Serb-inhabited area of north Kosovo uses only the flag of Serbia, which is formally the flag of the whole of Serbia including Kosovo, although this usage is rejected by virtually all Kosovo Albanians. The United Nations administration in Kosovo intends to establish a new flag for the province, which will undoubtedly be very different from the two national communities' existing flags. The current flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina emerged from a similar process of national reconciliation. History See History of Kosovo. Politics and international status Kosovo's international status is anomalous in that although it is a Serbian province within the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, the actual administration is presently conducted by the United Nations with no involvement on the part of the Serbia government (under Security Council resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999; see Security Council Resolutions 1999). The government of the province is the responsibility of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Under the terms of the Kumanovo agreement and subsequent UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which ended the Kosovo War, security is provided by the Kosovo Force (KFOR), which is led by NATO and is answerable to UNMIK. UNMIK has so far established a provisional assembly, provisional government and the office of provisional president, which are legislative and executive bodies under UNMIK's control. Control of security, justice and external affairs are still under full UNMIK control. The Assembly of Kosovo was elected in November 2001 and again in 2004. Ibrahim Rugova was elected as president in March 2002. The seat of the assembly, government and president is in Prishtina/Pristina. So far, the parliament has enacted and UNMIK approved a constitutional framework, customs code, and two criminal codes. UNMIK is issuing travel documents which serve instead of passports in countries which are accepting to recognise them as such; UNMIK is also issuing identity cards and car plates, which again are valid only in countries which are accepting them as such. Kosovo's postal system is also usable only in countries which are accepting to recognise it as such (letters addressed to Kosovo only, or to Serbia and Montenegro have a chance of not arriving; the Universal Postal Union advises correspondents to use "Kosovo (UNMIK)" as the address http://www.upu.int/post_code/en/countries/KOS.pdf). UNMIK has also created a police force (the Kosovo Police Service) with employees from all ethnic communities (Albanian, Serbian, Roma, Bosniac, etc), but dominated by Kosovo Albanians. It also manages the province's railways and airline (Kosova Airlines). The airspace of the province is controlled by KFOR. UNMIK uses the United Nations flag. The Constitutional Framework enacted by the Kosovo assembly (with UNMIK approval) has adopted a policy of affirmative action in the assembly to ensure that the province's minorities are properly represented. Out of 120 seats, 10 are reserved for Serbs and another 10 for non-Albanian minorities, while the remaining 100 seats are elected through direct voting. Kosovo is still recognised internationally as a part of Serbia. Its final status has not yet been resolved, though talks on the subject are planned for later in 2005, and considerable difficulties lie ahead in reconciling the incompatible positions of the Albanian and non-Albanian sides. The Albanians reject Serbian sovereignty and demand seccesion from the country. On the other side, Serbia is opposed to yielding any of its territory and for historical and religious reasons continues to see the province as the heartland of Serbian culture. The international community is reluctant to see Kosovo become independent, as its independence without Belgrade's consent would violate international law (the principles of territorial integrity and noninterference in internal affairs). It could also potentially provide a precedent for the parallel Serb demands of secession for the Republika Srpska from Bosnia and Herzegovina, re-igniting tension in that country. The Nato countries insisted on the republican borders as the only acceptable solution during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 90s, but this does not rule out that they might violate this principle in the case of Serbia and Montenegro. New Bi-Partisan Alliances such as the leading "Alliance for a New Kosovo" (http://www.newkosovo.org/) strongly advocate for a free multiethnic, open society and proclaim very valid arguments on an eloquent basis that justify the final status for Kosovo as an independent sovereign Kosovo in the best sense of the word as the only way forward for the benefit of regional stability in South-Eastern Europe. The Alliance for a New Kosovo has a very experienced and powerful Advisory Board consisting of highly skilled former top US Government and Military officials and statesmen such as Hon. Frank Carlucci, former Secretary of Defence (Ronald Reagan). Questions have also been raised about whether an independent Kosovo would be politically or economically viable, given the small size of the province and its feeble economy. Currency UNMIK declared the euro to be official currency of the province in 2001 in the course of implementing a currency reform. This was undertaken to replace the previous widespread use of the Deutschmark, which had become de facto currency even before the 1999 war. However, the Serbian dinar remains an official currency, though used principally in the Kosovo Serb enclaves; it is only used sporadically outside of them. Most trade is conducted using the euro, Kosovo's administration uses euro exclusively, and all commercial banks use the euro as the primary currency. Of other international currencies, the United States dollar and Swiss franc are the most widespread. Demographics Albanian nations now comprise an almost 90% majority of the population of the province. Their percentage as a proportion of the province's population has increased steadily over time as a result of a high birth rate, Albanian immigration and non-Albanian emigration. Many of the province's inhabitants became refugees during the war but most of the Albanian refugees quickly returned to their homes at its end. In the aftermath of the conflict, several hundred thousand non-Albanians, especially Serbs, Janjevs, and Romas, fled the province to escape renewed intercommunal violence. The non-Albanian population of Kosovo has continued to fall in recent years due to a combination of economic hardship and ethnic tension. According to the 2000 Living Standard Measurement Survey of the Statistical Office of Kosovohttp://www.sok-kosovo.org/pdf/population/Kosovo_population.pdf, Kosovo's total population is approximately 1,970,000 with the following ethnic proportions: * 88% Albanians (1,733,600) * 7% Serbs (173,900) * 3% Bosniaks and Muslims (59,100) * 2% Romas (39,400) * 1% Turks (19,700) Intercommunal violence has further reduced the number of non-Albanians in Kosovo since this survey, and many of those who do remain now live in refugee camps or in heavily guarded villages. Kosovo had in 1991 census the highest natality rate in Europe. Compared to low natality rate in the rest of Serbia (Vojvodina having the lowest natality rate in Europe) if Kosovo stayed in Serbia, Kosovo Albanians would become the majority in Serbia by year 2030. See also * Assembly of Kosovo * Government of Kosovo * Prime Minister of Kosovo * President of Kosovo * Post and Telecom of Kosovo * Battle of Kosovo (1389) * Demographic history of Kosovo * Municipalities of Kosovo * National awakening and the birth of Albania * Subdivisions of Kosovo * Unrest in Kosovo (about the March 2004 unrest) External links * Kosovareport - A comprehensive blog in English with news from local, regional and international media *Human Rights in Kosovo: As Seen, As Told. Volume I, October 1998 - June 1999. * * Kosovo maps from the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection * A collection of photos from Kosovo * Alliance for a New Kosovo, Washington D.C. * Ibrahim Rugova: Victory of the Passive Resistance? Pro-Albanian * Kosovan.com A community based website with forums, information, chatroomss and flash games. * Balkan Update- A blog with news, analysis and the lates updates from Balkans * Kosovareport - A comprehensive blog in English with news from local, regional and international media * KosovaLive - Independent news agency with some news in English * Economic Initiative for Kosovo - "...latest news, analysis and publications from the Kosovar economy" * RTK - Kosova's public television (news in Albanian, Serbian, Turkish and Roma) * Kosova Information Center - LDK's news agency (Albanian only) * Albanian.com - general information * Kosovo Crisis Center - Serbian Massacres of Albanians * Kosova e lirë (Free Kosova) -- Material about Kosovars and Albanians in Albanian language. * General information from Beqiraj.com (in German) * General information from Beqiraj.com (in Albanian) * Discussion Forum for Albanians from Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro (English/Albanian) * Why Independence for Kosovo? A summary of the case for an independent Kosova by two Prishtina intellectuals Pro-Serb *[http://www.kosovo.com/sk/history/kosovo_origins/default.htm Hugo Roth, Kosovo Origins]: a historian's comprehensive overview * What's in a Name? Kosova or Kosovo? - Etymological analysis by J. P. Maher Ph. D. (Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, Northeastern Illinois University Chicago) * Kosovo.com Serbian Orthodox Church's official website on Kosovo * Balkan Update- A blog with news, analysis and the lates updates from Balkans * Account of destroyed Serbian Orthodox churches in Kosovo and Metohija * Kosovo Newsgroup archive * Coordination Center of SCG and the Republic of Serbia for Kosovo * Serbian Government Kosovo-Metohija site * Eastern Orthodox Resource Centre Category:Disputed territories Category:Kosovo Category:United Nations ar:كوسوفو ast:Kosovo bg:Косово bs:Kosovo ca:Kosovo cs:Kosovo da:Kosovo de:Kosovo et:Kosovo es:Kosovo eo:Kosovo fr:Kosovo ko:코소보 hr:Kosovo id:Kosovo it:Kosovo he:קוסובו ומטוחיה lt:Kosovas hu:Koszovó mk:Косово nl:Kosovo nds:Kosovo ja:コソボ nn:Kosovo no:Kosovo pl:Kosowo i Metohija pt:Kosovo ru:Косово sq:Kosova sr:Косово и Метохија fi:Kosovo sv:Kosovo tr:Kosova zh:科索沃